encouragement Archives

Where is Your Hometown?

August 25, 2017/5 Comments/in Encouragement, Everything, Faith, Real life, Uncategorized /by Heather Gillis

I hope you enjoyed last week’s post Where do I fit in? Do you ever feel like a stranger in your own skin? Starting over in a new place can be exciting but also difficult. I have to learn where the kid’s new school is, where the grocery store is, the vet, my work, the park, and anywhere else we need to go. When I look around nothing is familiar and feel like a foreigner in a new land.

Starting over means meeting new people and asking simple questions like ‘Where are you from?’ Being in the military, these simple questions can be tricky to answer! There is not a short and easy answer to give. I was born and grew up on the east coast, moved to AZ for 10 years, then lived in Alaska now we live in Colorado. So I guess I’m from the east coast and lived in AZ for most of my married life.

We all come from different walks of life. Some of us grew up in the inner city and are used to taking the subway or bus for transportation. Some of us grew up in neighborhoods and walked to school. We knew all of our neighbors by name and even got together once in awhile. Some of us grew up in the suburbs where the nearest neighbor was a half a mile away, but you could still call on them to borrow a cup or milk or an egg. Whatever walk of life we come from, all of us come from somewhere that we can call our hometown. There may be circumstances in life that don’t allow us to visit or go back to our hometowns, but we always know where our home is when God’s love resides in our hearts.

This is not our home.

Philippians 3:20 (NIV), “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,”

Paul was reminding the Philippians in this verse as Christians, we are merely aliens living in this world, our citizenship is in heaven not here. We live in the world but are not of the world. He encourages them, even when there is trouble in this world, we are in union with the things of Christ, not of this world.

1 Chronicles 29:15 (NLT), “We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.”

As Christians, we can rejoice because the life we live here on earth is only but a moment compared to the eternal life we live in heaven. Our lives will only be a trace of God’s creation once we go to heaven. There are so many times I miss my family and friends. I wish I lived in the same town as them and yearn to be closer to them. I am reminded that wherever I live this is only my temporary home–heaven is my final destination.

1 Peter 2:11-12 (NLT), “Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.”

In this new life and town we are living, God reminds me, it doesn’t matter where I reside, His love always brings me home.

In a world filled with hate and violence–God’s love brings us home.

In a world filled with destruction–God’s love brings us home.

In a world filled with devastation–God’s love brings us home.

Home is where the heart is.

I don’t have to wait to live in my hometown to feel at home. Wherever God’s love is present, I am always home. Peter warns us in this verse to not give into the evil worldly desires but to rise up against them, so others will know our actions are from God. Starting over in a new town can be hard, but I don’t feel like a stranger when God’s love resides in my heart. His love turns a stranger into a friend. He is the one who provides for my every need.

In this world, we will have troubles and struggles but stay faithful my friend, God is holding them in His hands.

Romans 12:12, 'Do not be overcome by evil, overcome evil with good.' Click To Tweet

Where is Your Hometown? Do you struggle with not living in your Hometown?

Have you ever felt like a stranger in your own skin? How or in what way?

God’s love and grace are transformational. We become victorious when His word is alive and active in our lives!

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Born to Fly

May 26, 2017/10 Comments/in Encouragement, Everything, Faith, God's Love, Real life /by Heather Gillis

This post is in honor of my daughter’s 10th birthday.

A letter to my daughter:

It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since you have been on this earth. Where has the time gone? It’s hard to believe when you entered into this world you were only a mere 3 pounds 8 ounces! You came way too early, I was not ready. How glorious it was to hear your screaming cry as you first encountered this world! You have never ceased to amaze me from the day you were born. Even though you had so many odds against you—they didn’t matter, you defied them all!

You have been fearfully and wonderfully made by the hands of God (Psalm 139:4).

You have taught me it doesn’t matter how big or small a person is to be able to make their mark in this world. What you lack in size you make up in spirit.

God has given you not a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7).

You are one of the most determined people I know. When everyone is swimming down the current you are swimming up. You are a perfect picture of what perseverance looks like. Keep swimming, never give up!

The first moment I saw you, I knew God had big plans for you (Jer. 29:11). Everyone in this world has been born with a purpose–my sweet child you were BORN TO FLY! No matter how many times you fall you always get right back up and want to try again. Most people would have given up long ago when they can’t get it right, but not you. Never lose your determination or will to keep trying. It will take you farther than you ever know.

Never let this world tell you, you can’t. Never believe you are anything less than who God says you are. I am glad God has made you small, so everyone can see how big your heart is. Your heart is filled with a kindness for others like none I’ve ever seen. Keep treating others with kindness and love to as many people as you can, in as many places as you can, for as long as you can. Your kindness shine the light of Jesus to others. His kindness and love is a language everyone can understand.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.” Matthew 5:11-15

Your heart will continue to grow immeasurably more when you allow God’s desires to be your desires. Keep allowing God to be a lamp unto your feet so he can always guide your steps and way.

You have been a blessing in so many ways and you have no idea how much I love you.

I know we have our stumbling and roadblocks at times and had to face adversities, but I’m so glad we have each other and God to walk through these times together. I pray you will always seek God for truth, wisdom and strength, He will provide for any of our needs if we just ask Him.

“Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding.” Proverbs 3:13

I pray you will bloom wherever you are planted. I pray God’s seeds that He has planted in your heart will take root, flourish and grow into something beautifully amazing, greater than you can imagine. I can’t wait to see all God has in store for you. He will use you for great and mighty things, one that only a small person with a big heart can do.

“But I have raise you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” Exodus 9:16

Don’t be in a hurry to grow up to fast. You only have 18 summers as a child. Enjoy everyone of them. You have the rest of your life to be an adult. Cherish your childhood, you can never go back once you leave it.

There will be times we fail. Never allow your failures to define your past but propel you to try harder and strive to do your best in the future. Failures don’t limit us, our fears do. Never allow your fear to be greater than what God is able to do.

I can do all things in Christ who gives me strength. Phil. 4:13

At times it will seem like you are up against battles as big as giants. Always remember David when he faced Goliath. He didn’t see the giant, he saw God’s power. When everyone else saw defeat, David saw through God all things are possible (Matt. 19:26).

God’s plans are always bigger than what we are up against (Jer. 29:11). There may be times you fall, but keep getting back up. God’s plans will always provide a way for you to FLY! God LOVES you more than you will ever know.

It seems like only yesterday you were in diapers running around the house. Now you are doing cartwheels around the house. It seems like yesterday you lost your first tooth and now you are ready for braces. It seems like yesterday you were in kindergarten. It seems these moments keep going by faster and faster and before I know it, you will leave for college.

I appreciate who you are. God is equipping and preparing you to do great and amazing things! You are loved beyond measure. You are and are becoming such a lovely young lady. Keep being you, because everyone else is taken. You are one of the biggest blessings in my life and am so honored to be your mother. And never forget you were BORN TO FLY!

I love you so much.

Love, Mom

I love this picture of my daughter enjoying herself in her muddy mess

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Does Our Faith Save Us?

May 12, 2017/1 Comment/in Encouragement, Everything, Faith, God's Promises, Real life, Struggles/Trials /by Heather Gillis

The other week I went to a special viewing of the movie “Facing the Darkness.” It was a documentary produced by Samaritan’s Purse about the Ebola Crisis Outbreak in 2013/2014. It featured Dr. Brantly who was the first documented American to enter into the United States with this deadly disease. He was extremely close to death until a major breakthrough occurred. An experimental drug emerged that could possibly save his life. His only options were to do nothing and die at the expense of the disease or be given an experimental infusion drug only tested on animals.

I can’t imagine being in this situation, knowing you were going to possibly die in both situations. Dr. Brantly took a leap of faith and chose the latter, which ended up saving his life. He became the face of Ebola all over world. Dr. Brantly contracting Ebola showed the world, no one is excluded from this disease, it can happen to anyone.

His diagnosis was the catalyst for the Center for Disease Control pursuing a cure for a disease that spread and killed people at a very rapid rate. Because of the Dr. Brantly situation there is now a vaccine created for this virus.

At the end of the movie Dr. Brantly said something so profound. He said, “Faith is not something that makes you safe. My faith did not save me but got me through it. My Faith actually brought me to the Ebola crisis.”

Dr. Brantley’s situation asks deeper questions.

Is our faith enough to save us?

So many people in the Bible can ask the same question.

Did Daniel’s faith save him from being thrown in the lion’s den? No

Did Shadrack, Meschack, and Abendago’s faith save them from being thrown in the fiery furnace? No

Did the Israelites’ faith save them from being attacked by the Egyptians? No

Did Jesus’ faith prevent him from being crucified on the cross? No

You may be thinking, then what is the point in having faith if it doesn’t keep me safe?

These examples of faith did not PREVENT them from being put in scary, dangerous circumstances. Standing firm in their faith DID PROTECT them and allow for God’s greater plan to happen.

If Daniel didn’t have faith we would have never seen God’s power to shut the mouths of lions.

If Shadrack, Meshack and Abendago didn’t have faith we would had never seen God’s power protect them from being burned in the fiery furnace and how God was with them.

If the Israelites didn’t have faith we would have never seen God’s ability to part the Red Sea providing a way out from their enemies.

If Jesus refused to put his trust in His Father’s hands, we would have missed out on the greatest plan that ever existed—our eternal salvation.

Think about it. Each example of faith, including Dr. Brantly’s brought them to the heart of a crisis where their lives were at stake. Through each act of faith, we were able to see how trusting in God’s plan moves mountains and makes the impossible, possible.

How big is your faith?

Matthew 17:20 “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there, and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Our faith allows God’s greater plan to play out. Our faith does not save us, but God’s grace does.

Ephesians 2:8-9. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Our faith will not SAVE us from our bad circumstances or GUARANTEE us a life without struggles. Our FAITH will not prevent us from being thrown into a pit of lions, a fiery furnace, being attacked by our enemies or contracting a deadly disease. Having faith does not exempt us from harsh realities of this world.

Our faith DOES allow God to be in control and puts the trust in HIS capabilities. Our faith is the very thing that will get us through to the other side and live in the abundant blessings God has to offer. It doesn’t matter what circumstances we are up against, when we have faith we become OVERCOMERS in Christ. Our faith allows us to experience PEACE in the storms and JOY in our struggles because of what God has already gone ahead of us and done.

Where will you allow your faith to take you?

Our faith may lead us into scary, dangerous places.

Our faith will never take us where God’s grace cannot protect us.Click To Tweet

God’s grace and love are greater and bigger than anything in this world.

1 John 4:4 “ You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

How has having faith in God protected you in your hard circumstances?

All you need is to have faith the size of a mustard seed and you will see the mountains move.

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Chicken Soup for the Soul: Military Edition {Giveaway}

May 5, 2017/28 Comments/in Current Events, Everything, Faith, Real life /by Heather Gillis

“I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him” quote Abraham Lincoln.

I am so excited to announce the story I submitted last year to Chicken Soup for the Soul has been accepted and published in the Military Edition! I am humbled and honored to have our story alongside other men and women who have served and been the force behind the forces. And I’m thankful to have another opportunity to be published in the Chicken Soup Series!

I can’t believe how completely different our lives look now.

Never in my life did I think I’d be in this place I am today. Never in a million years did I think I would be living in Alaska, living on a military base with my husband serving in the United States Air Force. Never did I imagine all that we would see and learn just by taking a step of faith out of our comfort zone. Only God.

You just never know what God has planned.

Even though we left everything we knew–family, friends, kid’s school, our home, jobs, etc. We wouldn’t trade the military or Alaska for anything. Coming up here we have become a closer knit family. Moving to a place where you know no one, makes a family depend on each other in ways you never had before. We also get to meet amazing military families who sacrifice their lives and serve just so we can be safe.

There is so much more to our story than what is published. God has been writing our story for quite some time and is always full of surprises!

Life wouldn’t be life if there weren’t curve balls, sharp turns or detours would it?

As I am writing these words, we are getting ready to embark on our new journey to Colorado! In fact we could really use your prayers. There are a lot of unknowns of where we will live and what school our kids will attend. We are trusting in God’s provision and leaving it in His hands. Even though we don’t know how all the details are going to work, we know God has it already worked out for us.

There is something powerful in doing something bigger than yourself.

Alaska has taught us many things especially the art of camping and how to be prepared in all kinds of situations (wild life, negative degree weather). We will be driving with our two kids and dog in our RV through Canada this summer, stopping by national parks along the way. It is bittersweet for us to leave all the wonderful friends who have been our new military family to embark on our new adventure. But we are excited for our new adventure that awaits.

Sometimes I question if we have to move every 3 to 4 years how are we able to grow roots? I believe God uses us wherever we are. He allows us to bloom wherever we are planted growing our roots deeper in every step of faith and act of obedience. I will cherish the relationships and friendships we have made along the way and carry them in my heart wherever I go. Each journey we go on grows us and prepares us for what God has in store (hence why we named our dog Journey ; ).

Our Journey Girl

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There is Victory When He Is Enough!

August 26, 2016/0 Comments/in Christianity, Encouragement, Everything, Faith, God's Love, God's Promises /by Heather Gillis

The other day our family was fortunate to experience a once in a lifetime opportunity, to not only see one of God’s greatest creations but to experience it to it’s fullest. We were going on a plane to see Denali the tallest mountain in the United States and land on a glacier. We weren’t just going to see Denali, we were going to stand its presence and take in its magnificence.

Before the day even started there was grumbling and complaining from our children. ‘I don’t want to go!’ ‘I don’t want to wear or bring a coat!’ It took every parenting effort to make our kids put food in their mouths, brush their teeth and put socks and shoes on their feet nonetheless get into the car! There were tears of fear of the unknown, what to really expect, how was this day really going to play out?

We tried explaining to the kids we were going to have one of the most amazing experiences in their lifetime. We described landscapes, picturesque views, mountain tops, planes, glaciers you name it to prepare them what to expect. We explained, people from all over the world travel to come see the grandeur of Denali and the beauty of Alaska. They were going to experience what most people never experience in their lifetime.

Regardless of our tireless explanations, we realized they needed to come to their own conclusion and trust in our promise of an amazing day. Our puny words would never bring justice in comparison to what they were going to experience.

As the plane took off, we were a little nervous because we had never been on a plane that small amongst the mighty mountains before us. There arose a lot of questions, ‘What if we crashed?’ ‘What if something happened to the plane?’ ‘What if…….?’

It made me wonder, how many times have I done this before with God and questioned Him, ‘What if’?

How often do I put my hope and faith in what I see?

How many times has he tried to nudge me in a certain direction and I gave him a hard time?!?

How many times have I gotten in God’s way, when he tried to tell ‘me’ I have the greatest plan ever for you, one where you will experience the abundance of everything I have to offer if you just let me show you?!?!

Just like our kids, I don’t need to know every single detail of how everything is going to turn out, I just need to TRUST IN GOD’S PLAN! His ways and plans are so much greater and better than mine. There will never be answers good enough that will suffice my human understanding. The only answer I need to know is God loves me and that is ENOUGH.

Is God’s Love ENOUGH?

Each time I ever question God, ‘Are you sure?’ or ‘What if?’ he gently reminds me, He’s got it. He sees at a God’s eye view, the bigger picture of what is really going on. He has all the details under control, I just have to trust his plan is good enough.

There will be times where it seems he is asking us to go down rocky paths or troubled waters, but I promise you His love will always bring you home. His love will never take you where his grace cannot protect you.

I am happy to report we saw the most amazing views we would ever see in our lifetime. We had the most unforgettable experience. It would never have happened if we didn’t take a step of faith and got on the plane. We would have missed out on so much if we didn’t trust in his plan and go. His love is able to do so much more than I could ever do. When God’s plan is the plan for your life you will have the most Amazing Life Ever!

Where do you find your hope? In your circumstances? In what you see? In yourself?

What do you put your trust in? Yourself? Or God’s love?

God has the most amazing life ever waiting for you to have RIGHT NOW. He designed you to live the best life ever in him, live life to the fullest, one that is filled with his abundance of everything he has to offer, something this world can never give you.

Will you trust in his love for you?

You are victorious when you rest in the only answer you ever need, God's love.Click To Tweet

Trusting in God’s plan allows His love to intercede on your behalf and make all things possible.

There is Victory when He is Enough!

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